Tag: Benjamin St-Juste

Commanders vs. Falcons: 4 key matchups to watch in Week 17

Here are four big matchups to keep an eye on between the Commanders and Falcons.

The Washington Commanders (10-5) will host the Atlanta Falcons (8-7) on Sunday Night Football in Week 17, looking to clinch a playoff berth. Despite the Commanders having the better record, the Falcons are currently a higher seed in the NFC playoff picture because they lead the NFC South.

The Bucs play the Carolina Panthers at 1 p.m. ET, and the result of their game could impact the Falcons and Commanders. Tampa Bay is also 8-7, but the Falcons currently hold the tie-breaker advantage. However, if Carolina upsets the Buccaneers, the Commanders will clinch a playoff spot before their game kicks off.

This matchup looks much different than it did two weeks ago. The Falcons benched quarterback Kirk Cousins and replaced him with first-round rookie Michael Penix Jr. Sunday’s game will feature two rookie first-round quarterbacks starting against one another in prime time for the first time in NFL history.

The Falcons have multiple playmakers on both sides of the ball, which makes it a tough matchup for the Commanders. We’ve identified four key matchups for Sunday’s game.

Commanders WR Terry McLaurin vs. Falcons CB A.J. Terrell

Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin (17) catches a pass in front of Atlanta Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell (24) during an NFL game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.
Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin (17) catches a pass in front of Atlanta Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell (24). Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Outside of Daniels, the key for opposing defenses is always to slow down wide receiver Terry McLaurin. The veteran wideout went over 1,000 yards receiving for the fifth consecutive season last week, joining some elite company. He is having the best start to his NFL career with 12 touchdown receptions.

On the other side is A.J. Terrell. The fifth-year cornerback signed an extension before the season, making him one of the NFL’s highest-paid cornerbacks. Terrell is having another solid season for Atlanta, but McLaurin presents a big challenge. The Falcons need Terrell to limit any big plays from Daniels to McLaurin.

Commanders CB Benjamin St-Juste vs. Falcons WR Drake London

Benjamin St-Juste #25 of the Washington Commanders tackles Drake London #5 of the Atlanta Falcons. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Yes, you read that correctly. Benjamin St-Juste will likely be back in the starting lineup for Sunday’s game, as Marshon Lattimore looks unlikely to play. Lattimore reaggravated a hamstring injury in his second game for the Commanders last week against the Eagles. Philadelphia targeted Lattimore often, with him and A.J. Brown taking turns getting the best of one another — when officiating let them.

St-Juste hasn’t played much the past two weeks, but in just a few snaps against the Saints two weeks ago, he committed a critical penalty. Last week, with Lattimore out, St-Juste gave up a key fourth-down reception and missed the tackle.

London is a different matchup for St-Juste because they’re built similarly. St-Juste has struggled against smaller, quicker receivers. St-Juste cannot allow London to make multiple big plays downfield. You can guarantee that Penix will target him.

Commanders LB Bobby Wagner vs. Falcons RB Bijan Robinson

Bijan Robinson #7 of the Atlanta Falcons. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Bijan Robinson is similar to Saquon Barkley. Both were former top-10 picks capable of dominating games as a runner or receiver. While Robinson has yet to reach Barkley’s productivity, he’s had to share time. Robinson is the type of player who has hurt the Commanders. Washington did a good job of bottling up Barkley in the second half last week after he went off in the first 30 minutes. The Commanders should employ a similar strategy to slow Robinson, as he will be the focal point of Atlanta’s offense to ease the pressure off Penix.

Commanders QB Jayden Daniels vs. Falcons S Jessie Bates III

Jayden Daniels #5 of the Washington Commanders. (Photo by Timothy Nwachukwu/Getty Images)

The Falcons get their first look at Jayden Daniels this week. After it looked like an injury impacted Daniels midway through the season, or he hit the rookie wall, he’s back on track over the last three weeks. Daniels had his signature moment last week, passing for five touchdowns and rushing for 81 yards against the NFL’s top defense. He led the Commanders to an upset win over the Eagles, snapping their 10-game winning streak.

Daniels did throw two interceptions, and there’s no better defender at forcing turnovers than Falcons safety Jessie Bates III. Bates isn’t just around the ball; he’s excellent at baiting quarterbacks. Daniels isn’t your average rookie. It will be fascinating to see if the Falcons and Bates can trick Daniels into a mistake or two, which could prove to be the difference in the game.

A tough day for Commanders CB Benjamin St-Juste

St-Juste made an impact, but not how he wanted.

The Washington Commanders couldn’t wait to activate cornerback Marshon Lattimore. Acquired last month at the NFL trade deadline, Lattimore did not play in his first four games after the trade due to a preexisting hamstring injury.

Two weeks ago, anticipating Lattimore’s return, the Commanders waived 2023 first-round pick Emmanuel Forbes. Forbes, who struggled badly as a rookie, looked bad in Washington’s Week 1 game against Tampa Bay, and it was clear that the new regime of general manager Adam Peters and head coach Dan Quinn had already seen enough.

The Commanders mainly used a cornerback rotation of rookie Mike Sainristil, Noah Igbinoghene, and Benjamin St-Juste throughout the season because there was little depth. St-Juste struggled, both in coverage and with penalties.

So, upon Lattimore’s Week 15 return, Lattimore took St-Juste’s place in the starting lineup while Sainristil and Igbinoghene continued in their respective roles.

Here’s the snap count for Washington’s cornerback in Lattimore’s first game:

  • Marshon Lattimore: 53/55 (96%)
  • Mike Sainristil: 50/55 (91%)
  • Noah Igbinoghene: 38/55 (69%)
  • Benjamin St-Juste: 3/55 (5%)

Lattimore was not on a pitch count during his first game, which is excellent news for Washington.

As for St-Juste, it’s clear he played so much early in the season because the Commanders had nowhere else to turn. The only positive was they deemed him a much better option than Forbes. With Lattimore back and Sainristil improving each week, St-Juste’s best path toward playing time is taking snaps from Igbinoghene, but that’s unlikely as he’s played well, too.

Let’s review St-Juste’s snaps on Sunday. He played just three defensive snaps and committed a costly penalty on one of those three snaps, wiping out a Dorance Armstrong sack and nine-yard loss. St-Juste was called for illegal use of hands. Had St-Juste not been called for the penalty, New Orleans would’ve faced a fourth-and-17 from its 17-yard line.

The Saints would eventually kick a field goal, meaning St-Juste’s penalty cost Washington three points.

This was one of many costly mistakes made by the Commanders on Sunday.

Peters and Quinn continue to find their guys. St-Juste is a free agent after the season and will likely play elsewhere next season. The three snaps were a career-low outside of two games during his rookie season, where he did not play on defense, only playing on special teams. He’s been a regular starter over the last three seasons.

Commanders-Cowboys tied 3-3 at halftime: 4 first-half takeaways

Here are four quick takeaways from an ugly first half between the Commanders and Cowboys.

The Washington Commanders and Dallas Cowboys are tied 3-3 at halftime of their Week 12 matchup from Northwest Stadium.

Here are three quick takeaways from an ugly half of football:

Jayden Daniels struggling

Can we stop saying it’s the ribs? He’s just not playing well. On a deep throw to Terry McLaurin, a pass Daniels hit with ease through the first half of the season, Daniels led McLaurin out of bounds. Then, late in the first half, Daniels threw an inexcusable interception. Running back Brian Robinson Jr. was in traffic around several Dallas players; Daniels, trying to avoid pressure, flipped it to Robinson, and it went off his hands for an interception. Daniels should never throw the ball in that situation.

On Washington’s final first-half drive, Daniels rolled right out of bounds on three consecutive plays and the Commanders were forced to punt. Daniels completed nine of 16 passes for 57 yards and an interception.

Special teams thriving

Yes, kicker Austin Seibert missed a field goal. He can’t make field goals over 50 yards until proven otherwise. However, the rest of the special teams’ units came to play.

Starting safety Quan Martin blocked a field goal on Dallas’ first drive. Later in the half, defensive tackle Phidarian Mathis blocked a punt. Both times, the Commanders had excellent field position and struggled to capitalize.

No running game

Early in the season, the Commanders’ offense began with a strong running game. Washington rushed for 58 yards in the first half, but 14 were on a Dyami Brown reverse. Dallas is not good at stopping the run, yet Washington can’t run the ball. That’s a concern.

Until the Commanders can run the ball, it’s difficult to believe they’ll get out of this offensive funk. Daniels isn’t inspiring confidence that he can pass them out of it.

Defense doing its job except for one guy

Washington’s defense was excellent outside of the first drive and the final play in the first half. Linebacker Frankie Luvu was a menace, finishing with six tackles and breaking up three passes.

Cornerback Benjamin St-Juste somehow allowed Cooper Rush to complete a 41-yard pass at the end of the half to give the Cowboys an easy three points. St-Juste managed to commit a penalty on the play and still allowed the catch.

Why Marshon Lattimore makes the Commanders defense much better

We look at how Marshon Lattimore makes Washington’s defense better. #RaiseHail

The Washington Commanders are the talk of the NFL. At 7-2 and residing atop the NFC East since Week 2, the Commanders feature one of the NFL’s top offenses, led by phenomenal rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels.

Here are Washington’s current offensive rankings:

  • Scoring: 3rd
  • Passing offense: 11th
  • Rushing offense: 3rd
  • Total offense: 3rd
  • FTN Offensive DVOA: 2nd

As you can see, the Commanders offense isn’t the problem. And while the defense has shown improvements in recent weeks, they’ve had issues stopping the run. Washington’s pass defense is currently ranked No. 5 in the NFL, but those numbers don’t tell the entire story.

When the Commanders face a team with an elite wide receiver, the pass defense struggles. Washington has had issues against Malik Nabers, Zay Flowers, Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Ja’Marr Chase.

On Tuesday, the Commanders made a bold move, trading draft picks to the New Orleans Saints for four-time Pro Bowl cornerback Marshon Lattimore. The 28-year-old Lattimore immediately slots in as Washington’s No. 1 cornerback as the Commanders’ schedule ramps up with upcoming games against the Steelers, Eagles and Cowboys.

We know Lattimore’s history as one of the NFL’s best cornerbacks, but what’s he doing this season?

Lattimore is still playing at a high level, even though he’s dealt with a nagging hamstring injury this season.

Over the past four seasons, Lattimore’s numbers are even more impressive:

With Lattimore now in the burgundy and gold, the Commanders have six cornerbacks on the 53-man roster: Lattimore, Benjamin St-Juste, Emmanuel Forbes, Mike Sainristil, Noah Igbinoghene and Michael Davis.

In recent weeks, Washington has primarily used only St-Juste, Sainristil and Igbinoghene. Davis hasn’t played defense in weeks, while Forbes’ playing time continues to decrease.

It became increasingly clear that if the Commanders were going to be a contender, they’d need to improve at cornerback. Adding Lattimore allows Washington to move St-Juste into a No. 2 role while sliding the rookie Sainristil back inside at the slot position. Igbinoghene has also proven to be reliable and can play inside or outside. While Sainristil could be a Pro Bowl slot corner, he’s been impressive playing outside in recent weeks.

Washington plays Philadelphia in just over one week. The Eagles have two outstanding wideouts, A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, but also a fantastic running game. If he’s healthy, Lattimore can be assigned to Brown. He’s known for traveling with No. 1 receivers, which allows Sainristil to match up with Smith. Sainristil is a better matchup for Smith than St-Juste, but that could vary from week to week. Having cornerbacks who can line up one on one allows defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. to commit extra resources to the run game.

The good news for Washington is that it now has four playable cornerbacks—five, depending on how you look at Forbes.

Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline was a massive victory for the Commanders.

Could the Commanders trade Emmanuel Forbes at the NFL trade deadline?

Forbes was active and did not play vs. Giants.

The Washington Commanders are reportedly searching for cornerback help ahead of Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline. At 7-2, the Commanders lead the NFC East but have some defensive issues.

While Washington is currently ranked No. 5 in pass defense, those numbers are deceptive. Teams have been able to run on the Commanders this season, but when facing a top passing offense, the pass defense has struggled.

It’s not the pass rush. Washington’s pass rush has been much better than expected. It’s the cornerback position where the Commanders could use some help.

Washington currently has Benjamin St-Juste, rookie Mike Sainristil, Emmanuel Forbes, Noah Igbinoghene, and Michael Davis. Davis rarely plays, having participated in just 32 defensive snaps this season. The Commanders primarily use St-Juste, Sainristil, and Igbinoghene.

That’s right. Emmanuel Forbes isn’t even a top-three corner for Washington. In Sunday’s win over the Giants, Forbes did not play one defensive snap. The 2023 first-round pick played six defensive snaps in the Week 8 win over Chicago. While Forbes missed a game with a thumb injury earlier this season, he’s been healthy and available for most of the season.

Here’s a look at his snaps throughout the season:

  • Week 1: 35
  • Week 2: inactive
  • Week 3: inactive
  • Week 4: 33
  • Week 5: 4
  • Week 6: inactive
  • Week 7: 29
  • Week 8: 8
  • Week 9: Active/DNP

Forbes’ struggles as a rookie are no secret. While he does have one interception — in Week 7 vs. Carolina — he’s failed to prove he can be a reliable starting option. The Commanders are going with St-Juste as their defacto CB1. While St-Juste struggles at times, he has excellent length, is physical and doesn’t lack confidence.

Sainristil is already excellent, and Washington has sometimes played him out of position. Ideally, Sainristil will be the Commanders’ slot cornerback for years to come.

Igbinoghene has been a pleasant surprise. The former first-round pick has found a home in Washington. While he may not be a No. 1 cornerback, he’s proven he belongs. Even better, Igbinoghene is only 24.

Where does that leave Forbes? And what if GM Adam Peters trades for a cornerback at the NFL trade deadline? Could Peters find someone who wants to take a chance on Forbes?

Sure, you won’t receive much in a trade, but perhaps Forbes and Washington could use a clean break. A team interested in Forbes may not want to take on his rookie contract, though.

It’s unlikely Forbes is moved, but the Commanders could certainly be adding to the cornerback room, which would push him even further down the depth chart as Washington vies for the NFC East title.

What everyone said after the Commanders’ Week 2 win vs. Giants

A collection of postgame quotes after the Commanders’ win over the Giants.

On Sunday, the Washington Commanders defeated the New York Giants 21-18 on Austin Seibert’s game-winning field goal as time expired.

Here are some selected postgame quotes regarding the Commanders’ win.

“I think you got to feel very, very strong about today’s performance by the Washington Commanders offensively, with the caveat that they kicked seven field goals, and some of those need to be touchdowns.”  Logan Paulsen

“There is not a lot of pass rush happening right now. Whether it is the guys in the middle who are getting paid a lot of money or these edge guys. Is that as much of a problem as it feels like it is, and then what do they do about it?”  Craig Hoffman

“Washington worked so much on the red zone throughout camp. But, man, it has not yet paid off, to put it mildly. Too many mistakes/penalties each trip.”  John Keim

Austin Seibert, in a postgame interview, said the Commanders are “the best work environment you can imagine.”  Wow, did we ever hear that during the Dan Snyder era (1999-2023)?

“We did a great job competing to the end…we communicated much better this week. Everybody was feeding off of each other.”  Mike Sainristil

“That’s what you live for…”  Jayden Daniels on the final game-winning drive.

Benjamin St-Juste, on the forced fumble, said he “lost his contain and knew he had to hustle from behind.” This was a huge turnover.

“We’re still undecided,” and will keep looking to compete.” said head coach Dan Quinn on the secondary.

“Everyone came out and played hard. You know guys competed their a** off.” Brandon Coleman on his first NFL win.

“We got a win; that is all that matters. Doesn’t matter how you do it. Austin Seibert, Way to go, brother. We needed to get a drive. They got that drive, and he (Seibert) knocked it down the middle.”  Brian Mitchell

“Who would have thought that we would be saying we actually won a game without scoring a touchdown. It’s great to see everybody come together and go out there. We got a good win.”  Santana Moss

 

Dan Quinn already bringing intense leadership to the Commanders

Some excellent perspective on Dan Quinn’s leadership.

Benjamin St-Juste sees a difference in leadership this year, a big difference.

The Team 980 afternoon show host Craig Hoffman asked St-Juste following practice Wednesday what a major difference there is from recent seasons, for example.

“We compete for everything, honestly. It’s crazy. The first week Coach Quinn came here, it was all about competing. Competing in the weight room, competing in drills, competing in the class meeting rooms. Who can learn it the fastest? Who knows all the plays in the first week?”

Of course that makes them better athletes, but some might wonder, how does it affect their psyche as players? St-Juste certainly thinks it does and already is.

“When we go to the field, there is no hierarchy of who should go out there, or politics of this player should play. Everybody is going to compete, everybody is going to get a fair chance, and the best players are going to play. I think that is what makes great teams great.”

“He (Dan Quinn) is giving everyone the chance to show how much do you want to make this team. How much do you want to impact this team? I love it. It has pushed me to be a better player, and that’s what I am here for.”

Martin Luther King said, “A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.” Early on, Dan Quinn shows he did not come to the Commanders to search for and find consensus. They were 4-13 last year!

No, Quinn has come to mold and shape this team in his image. If you don’t compete hard, you’re gone. Those who love it, like St-Juste, can see it will make them better players.

One Commanders player, hoping for big year, recently became a father

Benjamin St-Juste, entering his fourth NFL season, had a life-changing experience this offseason.

He is entering his fourth NFL season, so this could be it with Washington.

That could be said of several Commanders, those drafted in 2021, who received a four-year deal. Even more, this is the first year of the Adam Peters-Dan Quinn era. They feel no commitment to these players they did not draft.

Benjamin St-Juste worked hard to get ready for this important season. But much more was the fact he became a father this off-season, and feels that weight. He spoke with Craig Hoffman following Wednesday’s practice.

“A lot more motivation and it just feels great to live for something bigger than myself,” said St-Juste. “I noticed it instantly as soon as she came out of the womb, honestly. Wow! I created this. It was kind of like a wave of responsibility and at the same time a wave of great energy. Like I said, to live for something bigger than myself.”

The fourth-year cornerback out of the University of Minnesota is beginning to realize there are things bigger than his job, but his job is now bigger as a result as well. “Whether I am motivated or not, I have somebody that depends on me. I have a family. Those values and discipline now translate to the football field.”

Certainly, that has been a life experience for many young adults. Of course, there are many who don’t get it and run from maturing. However, for many of us, fatherhood and family are used by God to mature us and grow us into better, more responsible adults. We begin to learn through being forced to live for others.

Young people who often lived for ourselves now develop into adults living for others, becoming contributors to society and teachers of their children. It sounds like St-Juste is beginning to see this. He is headed on a better path for himself. It will benefit the Commanders in 2024 and, more importantly, his family for years to come.

Commanders secondary one of the worst in the NFL according to new positional rankings

Washington’s secondary has a lot of question marks ahead of the 2024 season.

The Washington Commanders were dreadful on defense in 2023. It was a surprise, as many believed Washington’s defense was a team strength after coming off a consensus top-10 finish in 2022.

While the defense had problems throughout, Washington’s biggest problem was its inability to stop the big play. There were breakdowns in coverage and younger players regressed after secondary coach Chris Harris departed.

Part of the issue was coaching. The Commanders used the buddy system to replace Harris, promoting Brent Vieselmeyer to secondary coach. To say that didn’t work would be an understatement.

The two best players in Washington’s secondary last year were Kendall Fuller and Kam Curl. The Commanders let them both walk. Among the newcomers in Washington’s secondary are safety Jeremy Chinn, cornerback Michael Davis and rookie corner Mike Sainristil.

Washington’s most significant addition to the defense this offseason was the coaching staff. Head coach Dan Quinn and defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. have a history of getting the most out of defensive backs. Check out their history with the Dallas secondary over the past three seasons.

Regardless, Pro Football Focus isn’t too impressed with the Commanders secondary ahead of the 2024 season, ranking them 30th in the latest positional rankings.

The Commanders’ highest-graded returning coverage player from 2023 is cornerback Jartavius Martin, who produced a 58.8 grade. The team lost safety Kamren Curl and cornerback Kendall Fuller and hopes that new head coach Dan Quinn can coach up a secondary that does not look great on paper. They selected cornerback Mike Sainristil out of Michigan, and Michael Davis arrives from Los Angeles, but it’ll take great coaching to elevate this group.

It’s easy to understand the pessimism surrounding this group. There is some talent, though. Emmanuel Forbes and Benjamin St-Juste each had their struggles last season, but this staff believes new voices could be exactly what they need. If you looked at how multiple Dallas defensive backs progressed in recent seasons, you can almost guarantee that the Commanders will be a much better secondary in 2024.

Where does ESPN rank the Commanders’ roster against the rest of the NFL?

Is Washington’s roster ranked too low?

The Washington Commanders underwent massive changes this offseason. In addition to hiring a new general manager (Adam Peters) and head coach (Dan Quinn), the Commanders turned over half of their 90-man roster.

After finishing 4-13 last season, change was needed. All four of the current quarterbacks on Washington’s roster are new to the team, including two rookies.

Quarterback wasn’t the only position to undergo a massive facelift. Washington went from having arguably the worst group of linebackers in the NFL to the best after signing future Hall of Famer Bobby Wagner and the versatile Frankie Luvu.

Of course, with so many holes, the Commanders couldn’t adequately fill every position, but they tried. Some holes remain, specifically at offensive tackle and cornerback. Both positions could look much different if young players take positive steps forward.

ESPN recently ranked all 32 NFL rosters ahead of the 2024 season. Despite the changes, ESPN ranked the Commanders No. 30.

ESPN’s panel broke each roster down into four categories:

  • Biggest strength: Off-ball linebacker
  • Biggest weakness: Edge rusher
  • X-Factor: Cornerbacks Benjamin St-Juste and Emmanuel Forbes Jr.
  • Nonstarter to know: Defensive tackle Jer’Zhan Newton

Here’s what ESPN said about the cornerbacks:

Last season, no outside corner surrendered more yards to opponents than St-Juste (877), per NFL Next Gen Stats. And Forbes allowed 2.4 yards per coverage snap, the second-most by an outside corner with at least 250 coverage snaps. Those are some tough numbers from players the Commanders will be relying on. Their performances will play a big role in the defense’s success — or lack thereof — in 2024.

Those are some ugly numbers. It is important to note that Washington’s secondary was led by Brent Vieselmeyer, who went from high school head coach to position coach after Chris Harris departed last offseason. That’s not to knock Vieselmeyer, but every player in the secondary regressed last season, and he was fired after Thanksgiving along with the man who hired him, defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio.

The Commanders hope Quinn and defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. can maximize the potential of their young corners. Forbes, in particular, was a phenomenal playmaker in college before having a rough rookie season.

Do you agree with ESPN’s ranking? While it may seem a bit low, so much depends on rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. If Daniels has the season in which many believe, the Commanders will be a much better team in 2024, which will make the roster look a lot better.